The aggregate point

[Deleted]

"Away team scores less than 35 points - 0 points
Away team scores more than 35 points - 2 points
Away team scores more than 40 points - 4 points"

something along those line is a good idea

[Deleted]

Swindon's team this year probably lends itself to narrow home victories and bigger away defeats. I don't see how this can be seen as Rosco trying to look after Swindon's interests.

Swindon had some big home victories last year, but that was with a different team, in case nobody noticed.

Apparently only three teams voted against scrapping the bonus point - and the only one we know about it Wolves, so it would be interesting to know if Swindon wanted to keep it or have realised since that it was a popular feature of the sport.

Saw one run-off for the bonus point last year and it was one of the highlights of the season.

[Deleted]

grachan said:

Apparently only three teams voted against scrapping the bonus point - and the only one we know about it Wolves, so it would be interesting to know if Swindon wanted to keep it or have realised since that it was a popular feature of the sport.

I don't really have Rosco down as one of the sport's great thinkers.

[Deleted]

Surely one way to encourage teams to 'go for it' in every race, of every meeting would be to make race points equal league points?

[schumi]

Jon Cook joins the debate:

www.british-speedway.co.uk/news.php?extend.1373

[Deleted]

wibblemuis said:

grachan said:

Apparently only three teams voted against scrapping the bonus point - and the only one we know about it Wolves, so it would be interesting to know if Swindon wanted to keep it or have realised since that it was a popular feature of the sport.

I don't really have Rosco down as one of the sport's great thinkers.

To be honest and I don't have an axe to grind with Rosco, but he certainly seems to let emotion get in the way of his thinking.

Obviously this is something the team managers have been discussing, but Rosco had the passion to start this. Got to respect that, as misguided as it is.

[Deleted]

Jon Cook joins the debate:

www.british-speedway.co.uk/news.php?extend.1373

When a few teams start throwing in the towel because it's clear they're going to lose (which is most teams at AE) and decide they might as well try out new kit or not thrash the motor or get their average down or not be late so as to miss a flight, let's check back with Mr Cook again whether it would have been better to leave well alone.

[admin]

I notice that those complaining about the loss of the aggregate bonus point are often using two diametrically opposing arguments to justify their position.
Argument one is that away teams when they're in a losing position are demotivated towards the end of a meeting because there isn't a bonus point to consider.
Argument two is that home teams are demotivated once they take a commanding lead because there isn't a bonus point to consider.
Personally, I think they're both nonsense and that if the final analysis, the loss of the aggregate bonus point isn't anything to get worked up over.
The bonus point can be unfair - a team can gain the bonus point solely through a tactical ride, which due to scorelines was not available to the opposition. It maybe rare, but I've seen it happen. Last season Redcar claimed the aggregate bonus point against Berwick solely because of a Tactical Ride they used at Berwick, but Berwick were never in a position to use a Tactical Ride at the STMP.

[Deleted]

My main gripe(s) is not the 'fairness' or otherwise of the aggreagate point (personally think it is unfair and rewards teams built to get big home wins) but what the BSPA in their wisdom decided to replace it with, it smacks of a poorly thought through idea that someone came up with on the spur of the moment and no-one had much of an care about it at the time so it got through

The forums over the years have had a far more reasoned debate over how to diminish the incentive for big home wins, not saying they are right but it continues to be a worry that fans on the internet appear to think harder about the repercussions of rule changes than the BSPA

I'm with Wibblemuis, lets start from a blank sheet of paper but before any rules are made lets get some clear idea of what we would like speedway to be rather than the current lets jump in with a rule without any regard on its impact elsewhere only then to come up with a dozen amendments to fix the problem

[schumi]

The debate rumbles on. From The Echo.

Cook makes his point over aggregate

ALTHOUGH the abolition of the aggregate bonus point was agreed upon at the promoters' annual winter conference, it seems that some of those promoters are now unhappy with the axing including league leaders Swindon's Alun Rossiter.

He received support from a number of his colleagues who wanted the bonus point re-introduced with immediate effect.

But he found no sympathetic ear from Lakeside's Jon Cook, who watched his team beat Eastbourne 48-45 last Friday after one of the closest contests seen at the Arena-Essex Raceway.

"I think that the performance that Eastbourne gave at our place showed exactly why the sport was right to do away with the bonus point," said the Hammers co-promoter and team manager.

"Since it's abolition, it means that both teams have got to turn upon the night doing everything possible to win the match rather than the away side go for a damage limitation exercise.

"It also means that there's no point rattling up a massive score at home to just go and ensure you get the bonus point for an aggregate win in the return fixture because you only get points now for winning matches and that's as it should be."

Cook believes that the modern fan needs to embrace the wind of change in the sport that can only improve the entertainment factor.

"Speedway, in my opinion, has been slowly killing itself over the last 10 years with the bonus point because the perception of the educated speedway fan has been that their team must win at home by 20 points in order to go and get the bonus in the return match," he said.

"The fans who turn up just a couple of times a year watch that and go away unimpressed.

"I accept that all fans want to see their own side win but surely it's much better to have closely contested matches like we had on against Eastbourne for instance.

"It doesn't matter any more if every meeting goes down to the last couple, of heats, it doesn't mean that you are a weak side, it means that you are providing some fantastic entertainment for the public."

[Deleted]

For years i had advocated for an away victory to be more rewarded , and i was delighted when the bonus point was scrapped in favour of 3 points for an away win . 3
I have since come to realise the error of my ways . Last night was the perfect case in point .
While i'm still in favour of 3 points for an away win , the aggregate bonus point should be re-instated next season also .
Even if it's just the PL , where you only race against each other the once ( home and away ) in league matches .

[marron]

3 points for an away win and the bonus point should be used.

[Deleted]

May 28, 2008 7:36:09 GMT @schumi said:

"Speedway, in my opinion, has been slowly killing itself over the last 10 years with the bonus point because the perception of the educated speedway fan has been that their team must win at home by 20 points in order to go and get the bonus in the return match," he said.

He surely doesn't really believe the bonus point is responsible for the decline of the sport?

May 28, 2008 7:36:09 GMT @schumi said:

"The fans who turn up just a couple of times a year watch that and go away unimpressed.

I'd have thought they'd be less impressed with teams that have no chance of winning away, and just go through the motions. However, the real thing that makes the casual fan unimpressed is the poor racing.